Industrial products and machines are used in a variety of industries for automating manufacturing of goods, production of materials, and other industrial processes. For example, the alcoholic beverage industry employs filtration systems, valves, and liquid pumps to manufacture mass quantities of beer and other alcoholic drinks. These complex industrial systems are frequently automated using electronics, actuators, hardware, and software, which may provide for more uniform and predictable quality for these mass-produced goods.
Programming electronics and software for these industrial systems may be an involved process requiring the skills and expertise of a computer engineer or a computer scientist. Some systems can be configured so that programming them requires only a basic level of knowledge and understanding. Laypersons may be able to program such systems using a simplified interface with a minimal number of inputs.